Promise Neighborhoods

It’s been two months since I began my fellowship at The Community Group (TCG) in Lawrence, MA. My experience so far has been gratifying, educational, and very enjoyable. TCG runs a variety of educational programs – preschools, a charter school, and after school programs in public schools. I’ve had the opportunity to work on many projects so far. Every week I help out with a teen parent support group at the local public high school. We try and teach the girls health, parenting, and life skills. I cannot imagine the challenges the girls face daily, yet they still manage to come to school every day and are on the road to graduating. I’m very happy to be able to support them in every way I can.

I’ve also worked on developing a mentoring program for TCG, have begun a healthy eating initiative for students and staff, and have served as a substitute teacher! Recently, I’ve been asked to put some of these projects aside for now, as TCG was just awarded a Promise Neighborhoods grant. (Has anyone seen Waiting for Superman?) Only 21 organizations in the country were given this opportunity. I’ve been asked to play a large role in organizing and implementing our grant. The goal of Promise Neighborhoods is to provide “cradle to career” services for children in one particular neighborhood in Lawrence. Modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone, Promise Neighborhoods strives to improve educational outcomes for children by providing a spectrum of social support – everything from healthcare services to parental resources. I know I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but I am very excited!